Joint Commission Stroke Certification

Adventist Hinsdale Hospital has earned certification as a primary stroke center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. This coveted achievement is based on the hospital’s ability to provide safe, high-quality care, treatment and services to patients experiencing strokes.

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.

The Joint Commission’s primary stroke center certification is based on recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program – the nation’s first – in 2003. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital’s certification is good for two years.

Adventist Hinsdale Hospital officials developed a comprehensive stroke care program to better serve these patients. Education is a key component of the process, noted Laurie Marin, RN, stroke coordinator.

Prompt treatment can include administering a drug called t-PA, or tissue plasminogen activator, which drug breaks up clots blocking blood flow in the brain and allows oxygen and essential nutrients to return to the affected area. To be effective, a t-PA must be administered through an IV within three hours of the stroke’s onset. Intra-arterial t-PA is a method of sending t-PA straight into the clot site through a catheter, which can extend the window of opportunity to as much as six hours from the onset of the stroke.

But stroke treatment doesn’t stop in the emergency room. Adventist Hinsdale Hospital has interventional neuroradiology capabilities, which allows us to offer certain stroke patients advanced treatment options not typically available at community hospitals.